As all of the above makes clear, the wide array of assistance programs that residents have to apply for can be mind-numbingly confusing, and many still need help with what they describe as a daunting process. Seven and a half years after Hurricane Katrina, we continue to hear stories about New Orleans residents who are still navigating a byzantine system of policies and bureaucratic red tape in order to rebuild their homes. That cannot be allowed to continue to happen here, or many residents will simply give up — and never return.